The small town of Fatima is a major pilgrimage site for Catholics. The town would be unknown if not for the apparition of the Virgin to three young children in 1917. On the 13th of each month, but more soe on the 13th of May and the 13th of October, thousands of believers flock to the town to commemorate the event.

The “Our Lady of Fátima Basilica” is definitely a sight that deserves to be seen; built in a neo-classical style and featuring a 65 meter – 213 feet – high central tower, this is where the mortal remains of the three seers are entombed..

In the same place, only on the other side of the esplanade the Church of the Most Holy Trinity was built during the 2000s, one of the largest churches in the world.

Fátima has developed into a veritable tourist town and taking a Fátima tour will allow you to discover the history behind what happened in the place all those many years ago while staying at hotels whose star ratings range from 2 to 4. Once you are done visiting the religious aspect of the place you can explore Fátima's surrounding locations such as the close-by fishing area of Nazare.

Batalha

The town of Batalha, while small in size, has very interesting beginnings. It was founded by the king of Portugal as an homade to the Portugues victory at the Battle of Aljuborrata, the word “batalha” meaning battle. Despite its small size it overflows with wonderful architectural attractions, which span in age from the 16th century to the present.

The monastery is what attracts visitors to the place, a great example of Late Gothic architecture sprinkled with the Manueline style here and there, it required more than a century to be completed and it spanned the reign of seven kings.

As evidence of the extraordinary size and detail that more than a century entailed, one can spend literary days to carefully investigate the intricacies of the Portuguese medieval architects.

Nazaré

The lovely town of Nazare tends to be a very popular summer destination for tourists in the know. It's a great little spot where you can enjoy beaches and bullfights as well as immerse oneself into the intriguing history of the area. Legend has it that the town got its name from a small statue of the Virgin Mary, a Black Madonna which was brought here by a monk in the 4th century right from Nazareth.

The town itself is separated into three section, two of them being situated on a hilltop and the other on a cliff, while the third being along located the beach. The town evolved in this way because the villagers used to seek refuge on the cliff and the hilltop during pirate raids on their village.

The beach section of the town is connected to the higher situated ones via a funicular railway and any Nazaré tour will have to include at least one trip with this funicular in order for you to visit the two churches situated on higher ground.

The Capela da Memoria is the oldest of the two, being built in the 12th century by a Portuguese knight to commemorate a miraculous intervention which saved his life.

Across the square from the Capela da Memoria is the 17th century Nossa Senhora da Nazaré Church which features two belfries built in the Baroque style and 18th century tiles which depict scenes from the Bible.

Óbidos

Obidos is both small and old, it is thought that it gets its name from the Latin term which means “citadel” or “fortified city” and nothing could be further from the truth since the small town is dominated by an old medieval fortress and a chunk of the town is actually located within the castle walls.

The name of the place stems from the Latin word for citadel, and this is due to the fact the entire town is surrounded by walls which served to protect it in older times. Of course those walls go together with a castle, Óbidos Castle now being used to house guests in its luxurious rooms.

You can thoroughly enjoy an Óbidos tour pretty much any time of the year, as the town is not going anywhere, it hasn't been going anywhere for hundreds of years, and despite it being inland, nearby there is a wonderful lagoon where you can sunbathe, swim and do many other types of water activities.

However if you want the full medieval experience that Óbidos has to offer, you should consider visiting sometime in July, when for two weeks the entire town goes back to its medieval roots in a Medieval Market festival. Everything that one would associate with medieval Europe can be seen during these two weeks in Óbidos, wandering minstrels, jugglers, jesters and even jousting knights, not to mention all the taverns and stalls which offer medieval style cooked meats.